The Story of Us
by bensidybaby
Summary: Elliot and Olivia had been partners for 12 years before Elliot decided to leave SVU without warning. Now, two years later, Olivia has yet to hear from Elliot but things are about to change. Will Olivia respond the way Elliot hopes? Will they get their happy ever after?
1. Chapter 1: Goodbye

**Authors Note: Hello everyone! This is my first story that I have A) ever written and B) published, so please go easy on me in the reviews. I do not usually ship E/O but this story came to me one day and it had to be written. It was inspired by a gif set I made on tumblr. I should probably add that this chapter is just a background chapter and Olivia will make her appearance in chapter 2. Keep in mind, this is just fanfiction and it does not necessarily follow the show so this story will be slightly AU.**

**Also, it should be said that I do not own SVU or any of its characters (unless I made them up, in which case I do own them). All credit belongs to Dick Wolf and NBC. So without further adu I give you, The Story Of Us.**

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Chapter 1: Goodbye

It was the week before Christmas. The snow was falling gently towards the already covered ground, the streetlights lighting a perfect path down the empty sidewalk. A Christmas tree could be seen through every window.

Admittedly, it was not the ideal time to drop such a huge bomb like this to his family but it was the last chance Dickie Stabler would have to tell his parents. He had informed his sisters of his decision to leave two weeks ago, making them promise to keep quiet until he could tell his parents himself. He thought he owed them that much.

The Stablers' were gathered around the dinner table. Maureen had come home for the holidays bringing her fiancé, Steve, with her and was paying no mind to the rest of her family. Kathleen was spending the entire meal on her phone planning a get away to Aspen with her friend, Shelly, before their Winter Break was over. Elizabeth seemed to be the only one who was paying attention to Dickie.

"Mom. Dad." Dickie said quietly, not wanting to interrupt anyone in particular.

"Not now Dickie" his father shot back. "Kathy, I'm telling you. I cannot take off of work to take Eli to the zoo. I know this is important to him but the holidays are our busiest time at work. You should know that!"

"Oh that's right! I forgot. I'm your mistress. You are more devoted to your job than you are to this family. I have never asked you for anything! You can't give your son one day of your undivided attention? For Christ's sake Elliot! He is almost three years old and he hardly knows you!"

Raising his voice a little, Dickie tried again to get everyone's attention. "Guys. I have an announcement to make."

"That's nice, Dickie" Kathy said, not even listening to what Dickie was trying to say. She was consumed in her argument with her husband and she was not about to lose this one. "If you don't start paying attention to me and to this family I swear I'll leave you, Elliot. I will do it this time. I've threatened to do it before but I will go through with it this time."

"Kathy, you are overreacting. It isn't that I don't want to take Eli, it's that I cannot physically make it happen. Cap has me and Olivia pulling a double that day."

"Oooh Ooolivia!" Kathy said, rolling her eyes. "Ha! I knew that's what this was about. You just want to spend more time with your work wife than your real wife. You remember? The one who gave birth to the five children you claim to love more than anything in the world? Tell me this. What is her favorite color Elliot? Hmm? Answer me."

_Her favorite color is blue like the ocean. Her favorite smell is orange blossom because it reminds her of spring. Her favorite number is sixteen because we met at the sixteenth precinct. Her favorite flower is the peony and her blood type is A positive. She loves early mornings, her coffee black, and the sound of laughter emanating from children. She orders Chinese takeout three times and week from the same Chinese restaurant that is half way across town simply because the delivery boy is nice to her. But worst of all is she doesn't believe she is beautiful even though she is the most beautiful woman in the world. _

"Blue Kathy. It's blue. Her favorite color is blue. What does that have to do with Eli?"

"What is my favorite color? Do you know that one? Hmm?" For a moment Elliot's mind went blank. He could not for the life of him remember what his wife's favorite color is. They had been married for almost thirty years and he could not answer this simple question.

"Your favorite color is yellow, your favorite number is five and your favorite flowers are lilies. I remember because I bought you five yellow lilies on your birthday last year."

"NO Elliot. It isn't! I hate yellow! My favorite color is blue, like your eyes. My favorite number is seventeen for when we got married and my favorite flower is the hydrangea. You can't even answer that simple question."

Growing more and more frustrated, Dickie spoke up one last time. "MOM. DAD. LISTEN TO ME. I decided to enlist in the Marines. I leave for basic next week. And after that I'm applying with NYPD." _If anyone cares_, he mumbles to himself.

No sooner than the words left his mouth the room went quiet. Even the ticking from the wall clock seemed to become silent.

"That is great son!" Elliot exclaimed. Elliot never had a problem with his son following in his footsteps. In fact, he was proud that his son wanted to be like him. Some of the fondest conversations he had with his son revolved around Dickie wanted to know all about his father's time in the Marines. Kathy on the other hand, was mortified by the news. She refused to allow her son to cause his future wife as much pain and loneliness as Elliot had caused her. The late nights and unexpected calls, the abandoned family dinners, the ruined family holidays. No. She was never going to let her son do that to someone else. But more than that, she knew that the chances of Dickie ever coming home after he enlisted were slim to none. Even if he did make it home, every day he spent on the job would be another day closer to his imminent death. She would never forgive herself if she allowed this and her son died.

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After dinner, the family dispersed into their respective rooms. Elliot sat down at the base of his bed to remove his socks and shoes. In typical Kathy fashion, she tried to avoid the continuation of their argument by making a move. She crawled onto the bed, placing herself behind Elliot, and began to sensually stroke his muscular arms.

"I love you, Elliot. I'm sorry about earlier. I know you love me but sometimes it's nice to be reminded. Make love to me, baby. Show me how much you love me" she whispered into his ear.

She continued her rub down of her husband's back, slowly inching her hands towards his toned stomach, leaving a trail of sweet kisses along his neck. Before she could reach her destination, Elliot grabbed her hands and ripped them away, throwing them with such strength that Kathy fell back.

"Stop it! This, what you're trying to do, is not going to make me forgive and forget. I'm tired of you always acting like what I do for a living is so evil. This house, this family, you would have NONE of it without me. I gave up my whole life for you! I had big plans for my life Kathy, and I gave them all up because I wanted to do the honorable thing after I got you pregnant. And Dickie! He is a grown kid. This is his life and he can do whatever he wants to do with it."

"But it's not what is best for him Elliot," Kathy shot back.

"What's best for him? WHAT'S BEST FOR HIM? Kathy, this is his life. He is going to do this with or without our permission but I'd rather, if God forbid anything ever did happen to him, that he knew his parents were proud of him and believed in him and supported him."

That was the last time Elliot ever let Kathy touch him. Not so much as even a kiss. When they lay in bed at night a pillow separated them, that was when he wasn't sleeping on the sofa. After a month more of strain and heartache between the formerly blissful couple, he decided it was time to leave his wife and his job once and for all to try and find the happiness he felt he finally deserved.

He had hoped it would never come down to divorce. His parents had split when he was young. It was tough on his mother and he knew his divorce was going to be tough on his own children. Maureen had always resented her father so she was glad he was leaving and quite frankly she was too old to care. Kathleen and Dickie loved their father more than anything in the world and were devastated to see him go. Elizabeth was neutral about the whole thing, knowing it was the right thing for their family. And little Elliot Jr. He was too young to know what was going on and for Elliot, this is the one that hurt the most. As the man got in his car for the last time, he could hear little Eli screaming at the top of his lungs for his daddy. He couldn't stand it so he ran back and grabbed Eli out of his now ex-wife's arms.

"Eli, son. Everything is going to be all right. I love you and I promise to always love you. Just because I'm not living at home doesn't mean I won't get to see you. You can come visit me anytime. We'll go to the park and have ice cream and we'll play games just like we do now. You have to be strong for me, okay?

His son nodded as Elliot reluctantly handed him back to Kathy. He placed several kisses into the palm of the toddlers' hands.

"When you find yourself missing me, hold your hand to your heart and we will be together in spirit, always."

Elliot made his way to the car. As soon as he got in, he put on his seatbelt, started the ignition, and backed out of the driveway. As he drove away, he looked in his rearview mirror and saw the faces of the five best things that had ever happened to him.

His children.

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**To be continued! Up next: After 2 years of not speaking to her, Elliot finally gets up the nerve to call Olivia.**

**Thank you for reading! Don't forget to review, but please be nice!**


	2. Chapter 2: The Call

**A/N: Huge shout out to both my beta's, Jamie and D, for helping me out on this chapter. You give me the confidence to continue telling my story.**

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Chapter 2: The Call

It has been twelve long years of denying his feelings for Olivia, and a little over two years of not returning her calls. When he finally gets up the nerve to call her, he is sitting in a bar around the corner from her apartment. He has traveled all the way from his new home in Brooklyn in hopes that by being close by she will agree to see him.

Elliot takes out his phone but before he types anything in, he freezes. _This is it. It's do or die. Don't mess this up, Stabler._ His heart starts to race as he dials her number from memory, _555-0185_, and listens to the dial tone.

"Yeah, Benson."

"Olivia. It's me."

"Me who? Who is this?" She glances down at the caller I.D. not recognizing the number or the voice on the other line.

"It's me, Elliot. Don't tell me you forgot about me already?"

"El? Oh. No, I haven't forgotten about you. I'm just kind of surprised to hear from you that's all but I can hardly hear you. It's loud on your end."

In all honestly, she _had_ almost forgotten what he sounded like. Hearing his voice again excites her in ways she did not know were possible. While they were working together she had suspected Elliot had feelings for her and she obviously had them for him but they never acted on impulse. All of the feelings she had for this man come rushing back with the intensity of a runaway train. The noise on the other end of the line softens. He must have stepped outside.

"So listen Liv, I was wondering if you were busy."

"Uh, a little actually. I'm at home looking over some files for court next week. Why?"

"I'm at the bar around the corner. The one we used to go to all the time. I was hoping you might want to meet up. Maybe have a drink and talk."

"Umm…" She glanced down at her watch. 9:30pm. "Sure. Give me ten."

"Great. Hey Oli-"

The phone clicks.

"-via." _Can't wait to see you too,_ he finishes his sentence to himself.

Elliot and Olivia spend the next two hours laughing and talking, picking up exactly where they left off, as if no time has passed. He explains to her the reason for him leaving his job, for not calling her back.

"I had to leave SVU if I ever wanted to be happy again. Between the job and the constant feuding with Kathy, I felt I was loosing myself. I was unhappy and every day I came to work I saw more and more of the same shit. It was eating away at me. I had to get away and clear my head. Make a new Elliot Stabler. One who wasn't beaten down and broken. I had to find my strength again. Olivia, you have to believe me. I read every text and listened to every voicemail you left me. I wanted to call you back, I did. But I didn't want you to talk me into coming back to work."

Olivia nods, knowing he is right. Two years ago she would have tried to convince him to come back, but now after hearing his reasoning she completely understands his decision. She gently places a hand on his shoulder offering the comfort he so obviously longed for.

"Elliot, you have no need to explain. I get it. You were going through a difficult time. I just wish you had trusted me enough to help you through it."

Elliot's heart sinks with those words. _Trusted_ _me_.

"Liv, I did trust you. I DO trust you. I didn't want you to see the disheveled shadow of the man I had become. I was turning into someone I didn't even recognize, someone I was not proud of, and I did not want you to see that man."

"It's okay El. It really is."

This is what he has always loved about Olivia. He never has to explain himself to her, though he often feels the need to because he wants to make sure they are always on the same page. She never second-guesses the things he does and she always understands his motives, probably because most of the time she would do the exact same thing herself. Their partnership was always easy, even when they fought. Of course words were always said that shouldn't have been said, but nothing an "I'm sorry" couldn't fix. She never made him feel guilty about things like Kathy did.

"Now I hate to cut this evening short but it's almost midnight and I have a job to get to in six hours. Walk me home?"

She stumbles, having to grab onto her former partner's arm as she scoots off the bar stool, obviously having had one too many Cabernet's that evening. She had forgotten what it felt like to touch this man. He is just as strong as he was when they worked together. He has even buffed up a little. His eyes are still the piercing blue eyes she had stared at for twelve years but something has changed. They aren't as hardened as they once had been. They are softer now, gentler.

Throughout the evening, Elliot had caught Olivia looking at his bare ring finger and he had hoped the topic could be avoided tonight. It was almost as if she could read his mind because that was the first question she asked him once he got her home.

"I noticed you aren't wearing your ring tonight, Stabler. Did Kathy finally leave your old ass?" She laughs at herself because she knows Elliot and Kathy would never separate. As many times as they both had threated divorce they love each other too much. Or so she thought.

"Actually…" He looks down at the floor and runs his hand thorough the back of his hair. "I left her. It all got to be too much. But Liv, I'd rather not talk about it tonight."

Olivia guffaws, knowing that "tonight" is Stabler code for "ever".

"It was great catching up with you Liv. And again, I'm sorry if I caused you any trouble. Mind if I call you tomorrow?"

"Sure Stabler. That would be nice."

They say their goodnights and he turns around to leave. As he walks down the hall, he can hear her door closing behind him.

"LIV? WAIT!"

He has waited twelve years to do this and damned if he is going to wait one more day.

"What is it Elli-"

He reaches for the brunette by the waist and pulls her as close to him as he can. He firmly grabs her head in his hand and plants the most passionate kiss on her lips, savoring every second he can before she will inevitably pull away. But she doesn't pull away. Instead, he finds her pressing into the kiss even more. They stand in her doorway, kissing like a pair of love-struck teenagers, only stopping when they hear her neighbor coming down the hallway. He quickly wipes her lipstick from his mouth and they both let out a chuckle, smiling and waving at her neighbor as the eighty year old man enters his apartment. Once her neighbor is inside his own home, the pair let out the laugh they had been holding in, a laugh that brings tears to both of their eyes.

"Good night, Livvy Love."

"Good night, Stabler."

He makes his way down the hallway, turning for one last look at that amazing woman.

"Parting is such sweet sorrow." he quotes . "Until tomorrow."

A smile makes its way across Olivia's face. _First, Livvy Love, and now Shakespeare? This is pleasantly interesting. _"Go home, Elliot."

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**To be continued! Up next: Elliot finally got up the nerve to call Olivia and they had a successful evening but will things continue to go well for them?**

**Thanks for sticking with me! Don't forget to review!**


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